Karen Jeselun, RN, CCM, CEO Villa Home Care

Karen is the last person to talk openly of her years of accomplishments, but once you work with her they easily come to the surface. Striving to set the ‘Gold Standard’ for private duty in Maricopa County when there are no licensee regulations or other rules for non-medical companies, Karen has insisted that Villa require credentialing for our staff that many others may not. Examples of Villa policies include background checks, driving records, bonding and insurance. She has been an RN for the past 30 years and has held management positions in home health, hospice, assisted living and private duty healthcare related companies in both Wisconsin and Arizona. Her Bachelors of Science Degree is from Marian College, Fond du Lac, Wisconsin.

Involvement in state organizations is important in order to stay current with a rapidly changing industry. Currently serving as Secretary for the Arizona Chapter of the National Private Duty Association, Karen also holds memberships in the National Organization of Women Business Owners, Boomer AZ and Professional Christian Caregivers. In early 2008, Karen added another accomplishment, her Certification of Completion – Elder Care Management Program – from the University of Florida followed by her membership in the National Association of Professional Geriatric Care Managers.This was followed by her Certification of Care Management (CCM).

Karen has been married to Jim, her business partner, for the past 35 years. They have one daughter, Kelly, who is a Captain with Express Jet Airlines. They share a cabin in the mountains which they built themselves; and the love of the outdoors with Sami, a very special black lab. A love for reading and watching her team "Go Packers" will never get in the way of what Karen does best, leading a team of dedicated professionals you can trust.

"HomeCare coordination with a difference."

Theresa Bercel, RN Care Manager

Theresa has dedicated herself to working for the developmentally disabled and elderly population for over 22 years.

Prior to joining Villa Home Care, Theresa is proud to say she took a leave of absence to provide 24 hour care the last six months for her Mom. Locked in a personal fight with the medical community to bring her Mother home to live out her last wish – to be cared for at home, Theresa leaned hard on her years of medical experience. Theresa’s love as a patient advocate of the senior client brought her to Villa Home Care as an RN Care Manager in 2006. Theresa’s hospital and home health experience gave her the insight so that her focus is to provide peace of mind to the needs of each client in the role of Geriatric Care Manager. As an RN for Olsten Kimberly Care she supervised an Arizona State run facility; gained experience in pediatrics, orthopedics, telemetry and geriatrics at Scottsdale Healthcare System; and Winsor Group Home perfected her abundant patience as she worked with developmentally disabled adults and their families.

Theresa has an Associate’s Degree in Nursing, IV, PICC line certification and is working on her Geriatric Care Management certification.

Originally from Michigan, Theresa and husband Mark, a bass fisherman and custom home builder, have two daughters and two grandchildren and share a love of animals.

Karen Hernandez, MSW Care Manager

Karen has made helping others her number one priority and focus. She has spent the last six years earning her Bachelors and Masters Degree in Social Work from Arizona State University. Her social work experience has been in both domestic violence and hospital social work. She spent a year working at a domestic violence shelter where she help managed the "Thanks Offering" grant that provided a playground for the shelter’s safe house. It also helped remodel the old safe house
into a therapeutic classroom. Karen has spent a considerable amount of time as a domestic violence advocate, where she provided case management to the shelter participants.

Karen spent a year at Banner Good Samaritan Medical Center, a Level One Trauma Center, at the Rehabilitation Institute. There she helped facilitate patient discharge planning, provided crisis intervention, brief counseling, and helped provide community resources. Karen is working on getting her license in social work and Geriatric Care Management Certification.

Karen was born and raised in Arizona. She is married to Jorge who works in the communications field. They have a 2 year old son, Angel, who always keep them laughing. She loves to spend time running around after Angel and watching the Phoenix Suns with her husband.

Charlotte Schulz, MSW, ACSW Care Manager

Charlotte brings 25 years of medical social work experience to Villa Home Care as a Geriatric Care Manager. She describes her family of one son and six daughters as the foundation and inspiration for both her personal happiness and the professional opportunities she has enjoyed in her life. She says that over the years of raising her family and developing her career she has learned

"The more I am a social worker, the better mother I become, and the longer I am a mother, the better social worker I become."

Prior to joining Villa Home Care, Charlotte served as a Renal Social Worker throughout Arizona, providing counseling, education and community living assistance and advocacy throughout Arizona. She served as a consultant to several Native American Communities in developing dialysis services in rural areas and also served on the Governor’s Advisory Board on Aging. Charlotte holds a Bachelors of Science degree from Brigham Young University, a Master’s in Social Work from the University of Utah, and is a member of the Academy of Certified Social Workers of the National Association of Social Workers. She is currently applying for her Geriatric Care Manager credential from the National Association of Social Workers and studying towards gaining her Geriatric Care Management Certificate.

Charlotte is a proud Scottish "lass," having been born in Scotland to a Scottish mother and an American father who was serving in the Essex Scottish Regiment, from Ontario, Canada, during World War II. She enjoys taking her children, grandchildren, and groups of friends touring with her when she returns to Scotland each spring to visit family members living there. She is an avid history buff and genealogist and also enjoys writing stories about growing up in Scotland which are posted on a public Internet family history site.

Charlotte was widowed as a young woman and recently married Kurt who was a dear family friend at that time. Her children, who remember Kurt from their early childhoods, heartily approve!